Moving Beyond Illness One Bathroom at a Time
For Holly H, remodeling her master bathroom and powder room was done to erase unpleasant memories of her breast cancer ordeal. Five years after her surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, she was still haunted by recollections of the hours spent in her bathrooms during the treatment process. Holly decided it was time to reclaim her bathrooms and create tranquil, soothing spaces that would no longer serve as painful reminders of her illness. Holly blogged about her bathroom remodeling project and was kind enough to allow us to share her story with a wider audience.
Remodeling Roulette: And the Winner Is…
I followed the advice of family and friends and got not one, two or three, but FOUR bids for my bathroom remodel projects. One Week Bath was the clear winner. They did ALL the things no one else did. They came on time. They found my house. They were polite. They were prepared, patient and kind. They proposed an acceptable price. They had a quirky fun sense of humor AND… owner, Matt Plaskoff, has twin daughters who were born on MY BIRTHDAY!! That cinched the deal.
I could not wait to start the transformation. The powder room wasn’t terrible, but the gold fixtures and mirror from the 70s were pretty dated. And the fan was hideously ugly, horrendously loud and not up to code. The master bathroom was more problematic. Previous owners had installed floor tiles (!) on the walls, and there was this weird “soffit” above the shower. We weren’t sure what we were going to find under there. The vanity was really outdated, and there were stains in the sink and shower that no amount of scrubbing or scraping could fix.
From the beginning, I had confidence that the project would move smoothly. I know that most people with remodeling experience would be shaking their heads, but I figured it was like having a baby for the first time. You think you are ready and know what to expect and then the ride of your life begins and you have no idea if you will actually get through the whole thing.
I knew the feeling that I wanted the spaces to evoke, and I relied on Matt and his team to guide me in the creation of that vision and to stay within my fairly limited budget. Thankfully, they made the complicated process of choosing tile, flooring, fixtures, faucets, lighting, paint and counter tops as smooth and easy as can be. We sat in my dining room, poured over books of options along with countless samples. They helped me to be realistic about my expectations. No, I could not fit a jacuzzi tub and standing shower into my itty bitty bathroom space. But yes, I could have high quality construction and beautiful products within my price range.
A few weeks later during the technical walk through we made a few tweaks in the plan to bring outlets and toilets up to code. The walk through gave me great confidence that everything would turn out perfectly from A – Z!
Demolition Done Right (and Happy Dogs!)
On the big day, I was thrilled when Oscar, Jaime and Jose arrived right on time. I LOVE punctuality! They were polite, informative and very, very nice. I gave them a check, my key and the garage door clicker, showed them the bathrooms, answered a few questions (and asked a few as well) and then left for work! Easy peasy.
I came home to a house where the floors and walls were neatly covered with plastic protective wrap and a bathroom that was gutted down to the studs. I love DEMO! I felt like I was in one of those home improvement shows.
Throughout the project, the disruption was minimal. The workers were conscientious about daily cleanup and they went way beyond the call of duty. They even gave my dogs treats (with my permission) during the day. They were respectful of my needs and were so gracious and courteous. I was actually sad to see them go when the job was complete.
Bathroom Bliss
When I first saw my brand new master bathroom, I cried with joy and delight. My son came over for the big reveal, and we toasted with champagne. I enjoyed a long bubble bath later that evening in my beautiful new soaker tub. It was wonderful!
Matt and his whole team are completely professional, kind, courteous and talented. They pay attention to every single detail. I loved the bathroom remodeling so much that I hired them to come again and do my kitchen. Each time, I never felt pressured to spend more than what was in my budget. I wish I had more bathrooms and kitchens for them to remodel. I recommend One Week Bath without reservation!
